Daycare, something most of us sometimes take for granted

Alyson Pretorius and her friends visited Refiloe Educare Centre in Zamdela on Saturday and this is what she had to say:

“Our visit to Refiloe Educare Centre was surely one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Richard, Ian, Sampie and I set off with the generous donation from “The Grace Factory” on a sunny Saturday morning to the Sasolburg township of Zamdela. We were pleased to have donations of clothing, books, wet wipes, kiddies hand soap and nappies which we knew were desperately needed by the 80 children who call Refiloe their daytime home during the week while their parents are at work.

The principal* and her husband* , together with a staff member* welcomed us to the very neat but bare Day Care centre. The yard was covered with neatly tended grass and a few tyres. In the corner was a tin shack which was used as a toilet for the 80 little ones. The building consists of a very small RDP house with a tin shack which is peppered with tiny holes on the side. There are 36 small plastic chairs for the 80 children. The outside yard is bare, with no shade or trees for the children to sit under.

The principal* follows a very strict curriculum and her books and registers are kept in impeccable order. She told us that the children receive two meals per day, breakfast and lunch, which mostly consists of carbohydrates. The children range from 1 year old to 6 and the parents are required to pay between R130 and R180 per month for the day care service. However, she advised that many parents just cannot afford to pay.

These children are well cared for under the most minimalist and poor conditions. The children are happy and accept their daycare centre as their second home. To witness the love and care of the workers in that place was more than humbling.

The centre is in desperate need of many items. Amongst the most urgent are tables, chairs, books, stationery and some form of shade. They don’t even have a fridge!!”

* – no names have been included in order to protect the individual.

If anyone is keen to donate, please can you donate to the following account with “Refiloe” as reference: